10. Alex
Chapter ten
Alex
This Desert is hot as shit! I swear I have about five pounds of sweat in my boots, and I have no idea where we are going.
“Hey, Sir. Where are we supposed to be headed?”
“Up here, about five miles, is a small town we are stopping in.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Fuck, five more miles in this damn heat! I know I signed up for this, but damn, why can’t we turn down the heat. Only the sun and sand are in sight for as far as I can see, and I could really use an ice-cold beer right about now. I know I am bitching about my own decisions.
I should have texted Olivia and Rachel to let them know I was leaving for at least six months. What am I even saying? Neither of them is my girlfriend, and I don’t owe either of them an explanation. But fuck, the sound of them being my girlfriends is nice. How would that even work? Two women and me? That is every man’s wet dream. I wonder if they are also into girls. That would make this dream even better! They are both hot; they would be even hotter together.
I get snapped out of my daydream by a loud explosion to the right of us. We duck down and cover our heads from shrapnel. Looking to the right, I see an MTV on its side engulfed in fire. Multiple people are groaning from the explosion, and honestly, a lot of body parts are landing on the ground.
“What the fuck!” Staff Sergeant yells.
“This is some minesweeper bullshit.” Xander always makes a joke out of the situation.
“We need to watch our steps!” Our First Lieutenant says.
“Yes, Sir,” we all say in unison. This man has been through everything we have been through. He has been with us every step of the way, taking us through the treacherous battles. Sometimes, I feel like the wars will never end. Whether it's in the Marines or with my grandfather, I will always be in some bullshit. At least with the Marines, I am doing something honorable for my country and not underground illegal shit.
Smith walks next to me and whistles the Don’t Worry, Be Happy tune. It's ironic, given where we are and the explosion that just happened.
“What's up, dude?” I say to him with a side-eye.
“Nothing as crazy as that MTV over there.” He says as he nudges me, and I roll my eyes.
“Dude. Too soon.” I say back to him. I don’t know how this man is always a half-full kind of guy. Like shit, he grew up as a military brat. His dad was in the Army, he knows firsthand how shitty this can be for a family, but yet here he is, always with a smile on his face and cracking jokes. I wish I could be as happy as that. I wish I could live in his mind for five minutes.
“Sooooooo, want to tell me about the night I got arrested?”
“Nope.” I popped the P to emphasize my irritation about him getting arrested. My anger rises to the surface. I spin around and yell in his face.
“I have no idea why you had to swing first! If he had hit you first, he would have been the one behind bars!”
“I know. I was just mad that he was yelling at Ally, and then he pulled the Mexican card; you know how I feel about that shit. I don’t know, I just… I saw red.”
I shake my head. I understand, but it still is shitty. We had to talk to all the higher-ups about what we were doing, how it happened, and where I went after. It was stupid because some old fuck started it, and we got our asses handed to us.
I wipe off the sweat dripping down my forehead with the back of my hand and sigh at Smith. “I understand. It just fucking sucked. After you got taken to the station, I couldn’t get the Officer out of my head. So, my dumb ass took an Uber to the station to wait for her to get off work….”
The dumbfounded look on Xander’s face says it all!
“Wait! You waited outside the station for the cop who arrested me?”
I can’t help the small smile that creeps up on my face. It happens every time I think of Olivia. Or Rachel, for that matter. To play it off, I roll my eyes, “Did I fucking stutter? I know I have an accent and shit, but you have never had a problem hearing me before.”
Xander shakes his head and rolls his eyes. “You know what I mean, jackass! Was she at least good in bed?”
I shook my head and shrugged at the same time. “I don’t know. We didn’t make it to bed. We ended up at the diner, had a nice chat, then she was driving me home, and we saw some dumb ass kick a woman in the stomach into a brick wall. So I got out to help her. She wanted me to go to the hospital with her, so Olivia took care of Andrew, and I took care of Rachel.”
We finally walked up to a clearing. Sir is telling everyone where to set up camp. We are about three miles outside of the village. Enough space to not be in the way, but also to be able to make it there in time if shit hits the fan.
Xander and I are setting up the tent when he finally mentions anything about the situation I just told him about.
“So, do you know why the asshole kicked the chick?”
“She said he got mad because she told him she was pregnant.” I quietly stated while looking around. It’s really no one’s business what happened to Rachel.
“I stayed with her in the hospital for three days while she recovered; she had to have surgery because of a bunch of different internal things, but they also had to do a thing called a D I just needed to get it out.
Hey Rachel,
I am overseas, but you wouldn’t know that because I didn’t tell anyone because I am a dumb ass. But I wish I could see you and know you are healing. Make sure Andrew doesn't put his hands on you again. I’m sorry I won’t be there for your graduation, but I am super proud of you, and I also know you will be the most amazing defense lawyer in San Diego. Go get them! Please keep that beautiful smile on your face and know you are amazing.
Alex
I turned the page and started another letter. Knowing they will never be sent out to the people they are intended for allows me to write freely and open up about my feelings that I am confused about.
So, I will write about my absolutely ridiculous feelings in this notebook. Feelings that shouldn’t be there because I barely know these women. But god, I would love to get to know them. I would love to learn everything about each of them. I also want to get to know every inch of them.
Olivia,
I know you are probably pissed off at me because I didn’t mention where I was going. I want to see you again as soon as I get home. I want to learn everything about you. I'd love to hear about your days, dreams, and ambitions. I want to hear about your likes and dislikes. I want to know everything that makes you who you are. I don’t know where these feelings mustered up, but I feel like I have known you my whole life, and that you are supposed to be here for the rest of our lives. You feel like home to me. I know this makes no sense, but I have nothing better to do in this desert than think.
Alex
These letters made me feel lighter and, honestly, giddy, like a little kid. I look to my right and see Smith, deep in thought, writing something in his own notebook. I look over, and I know the name Aria. I vaguely remember a girl named Aria from his hometown. I remember they were childhood best friends. I could ask him about her sometime and see what he says. But after the short replies he made earlier today, I am assuming the subject is off-limits.